Home Renovation Design & Drafting in Carmel, CA
Our Carmel Drafting & Design Services
From its scenic views and the marine sanctuary to its superb dining scene, Carmel is truly one of a kind. If you’re lucky enough to put down roots in Carmel, you’ll want a home that reflects the natural beauty of your community.
At Renovation Drafting & Design, our experienced team is excited to hear your vision for your home and turn those ideas into tangible designs. No detail is too small when it comes to your future home, and we want to hear it all. Do you have an ideal layout for your kitchen or a creative shape for your backyard deck? Let us know. We view these brainstorming sessions as conversations, and our knowledgeable design experts will listen and offer recommendations for room configurations and flow based on your preferences. Together, we’ll craft a design that ticks all the functionality boxes and matches your ideal aesthetic.
We’ve helped Carmel homeowners design new builds and renovations, including bathroom remodels, kitchen overhauls, room additions, basement upgrades, attic conversions, and more. Curious if we can handle your project? Give us a call to see if we’re a good fit!
Getting a remodel approved in Carmel
Carmel runs its own review, and it is stricter than most of the peninsula. Almost any exterior alteration needs discretionary approval before a building permit is issued, and knowing which track your project falls into is the difference between a clean schedule and a surprise in month four.
Track One is staff-level review with no public hearing, for projects that comply with the zoning ordinance and the City's residential design guidelines. Track Two is the multi-step route for projects that require a hearing, beginning with a Preliminary Site Assessment. Historic properties may also need Historic Resources Board review, and much of Carmel sits inside the coastal zone.
These are estimates drawn from the City's published guidance as of August 2026, not a determination about your property. Confirm current requirements with Carmel Planning and Building before committing money or a schedule.
Designing for a Carmel house
Carmel's housing stock is unusually varied for a town its size — storybook cottages, board-and-batten and shingle houses, Spanish Colonial Revival, Monterey Colonial, and a run of quietly excellent mid-century work. Most of it sits on small lots under mature trees, and much of it predates modern setback, seismic and energy requirements.
That produces a consistent set of problems: opening up a plan without losing the character that makes the house worth owning, adding space where there is very little, bringing stairs and guardrails up to code, and working around protected trees whose root zones decide where a foundation can go.
If your house has no original drawings, that is normal. We measure it and produce an as-built set first — and you own it afterwards.
Comprehensive Solutions
How a Carmel project runs
Site visit and as-built measure. We come to the house, measure it, and record what matters later — framing, grade, trees, existing stairs, panel location.
Constraints check. Before any design, we establish what the parcel allows and which review track applies. It is the cheapest hour in the project.
Schematic design, then design development. Two or three options against your budget and the limits of the lot, then the chosen one becomes the package that goes to Planning.
Construction documents, submittal and response. The full permit set, coordinated with your structural engineer — and we answer the corrections, not you.
See Our Work
To get a feel for our level of work or to get inspired for your home design, check out some of our recent work.
What Our
Clients Say
Drafting and Design Simplified
Whether you’re looking for remodeling design services in Carmel or you’re designing a new construction, choose RDD to enjoy a straightforward, stress-free drafting experience. Contact us to design a masterpiece together.